International Women’s Day: 7 events to inform and inspire
International Women’s Day (IWD) – celebrated globally on March 8 – is a global initiative that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity in, among other places, the public and private sectors. Significant worldwide activity is witnessed each year on IWD worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements and rally for women’s equality.
This year’s global theme for 2022 is #BreaktheBias. It comes at a significant moment in time. Studies show that the pandemic has had a disproportionately negative impact on women, in work and in life. Biases are being highlighted not only in the boardroom, decision-making bodies, and in the media: they are also showing up in homes, schools and communities across the world.
These biases are taking a toll on female mental health. And when women suffer, societies weaken.
Organised by companies like General Motors, IBM and Salesforce and non-profits like Girls in Tech, these seven virtual webinars, summits and discussions held throughout the month of March are guaranteed to inform and inspire.
Women in Data Science @GM
General Motors
March 8, 2-9pm
US / virtual
To sign up, click here
On IWD, General Motors is collaborating with Stanford University to host Women in Data Science (WiDS) conference. During this conference, learn from data scientist professionals across various fields to discuss the latest research and applications of data science in a broad set of domains. Attendees will learn how leading-edge companies are leveraging data science for success and connect with potential mentors, collaborators, and others in the field. As well as executive talks and tech talks, there will be three panels discussing three key topics – data trends, career evolution of the data scientist, and demonstrating the value of the work. Speakers include Lisa Purvis, senior data science manager at Uber; Erika McBride, director of BI and analytics at DOW Inc.; Carolyn Nguyen, data science manager at General Motors; Monica Eboli, machine learning engineer at Meta Platforms; Sneha Rajen, data scientist at Dell Technologies; Joy Bonaguro, statewide chief data officer, State of California; Katherine Brinker, software engineer, General Motors; and Dr Charlie Klauer, associate professor at Virginia Tech; among many others.
Product x Engineering
Girls in Tech
March 23, 5PM – 6.30pm (PST)
San Francisco / virtual
To sign up, click here
In honour of IWD, join San Francisco-headquartered non-profit Girls in Tech and Persona to learn from incredible female leaders from some of the biggest names in tech. The heads of engineering and product from top Silicon Valley firms including AngelList, Persona, Meta and Black will discuss building hypergrowth businesses and share stories about their failures, perseverance and eventual success. Hear from speakers including Annie Zhou, director of engineering at Square; Jessica Toy, director of product management at AngelList; Koun Han, head of product at Persona; Tina Schuchman, director of engineering at Facebook; and Christie Kim, COO at Persona.
Celebrating Women Who Redefine the Future of Business
Salesforce
March 8, 11am (PST)
US / virtual
To sign up for the webinar, click here
Salesforce is hosting a virtual global summit featuring panels, workshops and tech talks that celebrate leaders who are driving success in their organisations and reshaping business to ensure that women's progress persists. Salesforce promises you will walk away with the tools, tactics, and inspiration to build a better future for everyone in the workplace – from motivating and inspiring teams to achieve growth, to leading and adapting through constant change; and building a culture of inclusivity and empowerment. The event will deliver candid conversations with women leaders including Ailinh Hoang Kim, Director of Retail Marketing, Torani; Jodi Patkin, SVP of Brand Marketing and Communications, theSkimm; Karla Martin, Executive Strategist, Deloitte Consulting; Shalaya Shipman, Sr. Director Strategic Business Development SMB, Salesforce.
Women in Tech Breaking Bias
BLIX
March 10, 6.30pm (GMT)
Virtual
To sign up, click here
A network of senior business leaders that offer time, knowledge and guidance to help progress diverse talent, BLIX is presenting its first event of the year – Women in Tech featuring keynote talk and fireside chats with female senior leaders from Meta, Apple, Google, Peltarion and AWS and from across the world, including the Middle East, UK and the US. In line with this year’s IWD theme of #BreakTheBias, a keynote speaker and panellists will share key learnings from their career journeys, rise to leadership positions in Big Tech, how to maintain visibility in a male-dominated industry, career progressive tangible actions, gender equality advocacy in the workplace, inclusive mindsets, and more. Speakers include Jane Egerton-Idehen, head of sales MENA at Meta; Elizabeth Chapman, product leader at Apple; Liliana Lindberg, AI Solutions Architect & Engineer at Peltarion; and Corie Hawkins, head of customer engineering UK at Google Cloud.
Diversity at Work in Canada: Breaking the Bias
Canadian Club Toronto
March 8, 12 – 1pm
Canada, virtual
To sign up, click here
Organised by Canadian Club Toronto and sponsored by McKinsey and the Canadian Bankers Association, this year’s event focuses on the elimination of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, and instead creating a world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. According to a recent McKinsey report, nearly 70% of employees say that their organisations prioritise DE&I, yet only 35% say their companies had substantially followed through on their commitments. This event looks at how can we hold organisations accountable so that employees have equitable access to workplace opportunities now and in the future.
The discussion will feature Sandrine Devillard, Senior Partner, McKinsey; Rania Llewellyn, President & CEO, Laurentian Bank; Dr Homer Tien, President & CEO, Ornge; and Cheesan Chew, COO, RBC Ventures.
Women’s CoLab + Bustle celebrate International Women’s Day
March 8, 12pm (ET)
US / virtual
Verizon
To sign up, click here
In 2021 Verizon, in collaboration with several other industry-leading companies, created a free online development program called Women's CoLab. This is a collection of amazing personal and professional development resources, curated with women in mind, and open for all to join.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Women’s CoLab is hosting a free virtual event streaming live on the Women’s CoLab YouTube channel, Linkedin, and Twitter. Organised by founding member Verizon with Bustle Digital Group, this event features Create & Cultivate founder Jaclyn Johnson, and a host of executives from Chipotle, Kimberly-Clark, Walmart, and more.
IBM International women’s day – #BreakTheBias event
March 31, 4pm – 6pm (BST)
Virtual
To sign up, click here
Join IBM later this month for its IWD panel event with a focus on the theme #BreakTheBias.
IBM will be joined by three speakers who will provide their insight into the different dimensions and sources of bias and provide actionable insights that can help us overcome these challenges.
